Materials for the protective garments worn by motorcycle riders should be durable and rugged, yet relatively flexible and lightweight, aerodynamic, and aesthetically appealing. In addition, they should be controllably vented to provide adjustable airflow into and through the garment for cooling on hot days.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,704,064, 5,507,042, 5,752,277 and 5,596,769, all issued to van der Sleesen and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, disclose representative protective garments for motorcycle riders.
Although such garments are preferably made of a durable material, such as leather, additional protection may be conferred to the rider by including protective armor or shielding in portions of the garments which cover vulnerable areas of the rider's body, such as, for example, the elbows, knees, shoulders, ribs, stomach, and lower back. In the prior art, such protective armor is typically a solid, rigid piece which is fixedly attached to the inside or outside of the garment in the desired locations. The armor may be removable from the garment, but when attached to the garment, it is fixedly attached.
Motorcycle riding is an active sport, as the rider is constantly changing his position as he corners, brakes, accelerates and optimally controls the bike. Such constant movement should be permitted without restrictions or discomfort of any kind. Some discomfort and restrictions may be introduced by the use of armored protective garments, and any such discomfort or restricted movements are clearly undesirable. The discomfort and restrictions typically result from the fixation of armor and/or pads in the garment at vulnerable points, such as the elbows and knees. Any restrictions or discomfort are fatiguing and distracting and therefore should be avoided so as to enhance rider performance and safety.
In early days of motorcycle riding, before protective armor was used, a rider wearing a protective garment such as a leather suit could suffer repeated falls from the bike without ruining the garment. As speeds increased, the use of hard armor in protective garments became desirable to spread the impact of a fall over a larger area. However, the damage to the protective garments also increased significantly, because the hard armor elements would push the outer panel of the garment into the pavement or impact surface, and the outer panel would be ground away between the two unforgiving surfaces.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a protective garment for motorcycle riders which is overcomes the deficiencies of garments known in the art.